Swimming Isn't Such a Great Idea
by SlaughterOtter
Summary: Jack isn't really a fan of swimming.
1. Chapter 1

Jack irritably rubbed at his nose and squinted against the bright Australian sun. A few flakes of dried skin stuck to his hand and his lobster-red nose gave twinge of protest. Jack was sunburnt all over and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.

Out in the water Tooth laughed, raising a hand in vain to protect herself from a particularly large splash one of her helpers sent her way. She countered it easily, knocking at least five little ones out of the air with a single wave. Small chirps of mock anger sounded faintly over the roar of the waves. With her opponents briefly distracted from their vicious splash-war, she looked up to spot Jack sitting stubbornly underneath an umbrella with a towels protectively layered over every visible piece of skin. Several empty bottles of sunscreen littered the ground around him.

"Jack!" she called, waving her arms above her head. "Come on out; the water's great!" Whatever response Jack was about to give her went unheard, as North snuck up from the left and playfully dunked her under the water. With an indignant shriek, she grabbed his beard and pulled him down too.

Back on shore, Sandy sat next to Jack's Small-Palace-of-Shade. Shimmering in the heat, he almost looked like a mirage. He wasn't really one for swimming; water just made it hard for him to keep his form. Instead, Sandy seemed really happy just soaking up the suns' rays.

Bunnymund sloughed through the sand, bringing extra towels. He dropped them unceremoniously onto the ground. "Get out there, ya' little frostbite."

"S'hot." came the mumbled reply.

"All the more reason for you to get in!" Bunny countered. "Water'll cool you right off. C'mon." He grabbed Jack's wrist and pulled him towards the water. Jack managed to snag a towel from the crumpled heap he had left and toss it over his head before they came into the full light of the sun.

He reluctantly walked to the water's edge and stuck his feet in. It did feel better than the surrounding air, that he had to admit, although it was still a bit on the warm side, if anyone were to ask him. Which no one ever did, but if someone were to ask for his opinion at least he would have one to give.

Bunnymund took off into the surf and joined North and Tooth enthusiastically in their splash-war. Jack looked down at his feet in the sand and adjusted the towel to cover as much skin as possible. Unfortunately, only his face and neck were protected. He tried to get his arms in the shade, but after several failed attempts let them hang by his side. He would find himself a nice, chilly spot in the Northern hemisphere later that night, cause a massive snowfall, and bury himself in the fluffy white flakes until his skin turned back to its normal, painless color.

He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he inched further from the shore. The water swirled around his knees.

The splash-war continued farther out, but Jack knew he wouldn't dare go that far. As much fun as it would be to soak The Easter Bunny, Jack wasn't exactly comfortable with water that deep. He sat down in the tide and let his hoodie fill up with water. He created a few tiny icebergs to surround himself with, and amused himself by making small, icy ships sail around them. They melted quickly, but the chill they left Jack feel refreshed after sitting in the sweltering heat.

Suddenly, a wave crashed into him. Knocked off balance, Jack went under.

Scrabbling to right himself and get back into the air, his hands clawed frantically at the sand. His nails scraped over rocks and shells, but they found nothing to hold onto.

_Can't breathe, can't breathe, can't breath!_

His eyes stung from the salt flooding into them, but he couldn't seem to remember how to shut them. The water slammed him against the ground.

_No air, can't breathe! _

Panicking, he stuck his feet out beneath him, but they dragged uselessly against the bottom. Where was the surface?

_No, no, no, no, no,_

Finally, the water lulled and he managed to claw himself to the surface. He coughed and choked out seawater, struggling to get his breath back. His eyes smarted _(From salt, not tears, salt, not tears)_ and he firmly reminded himself that there was no ice here to trap him under. He was fine. Absolutely fine. His feet carried him unsteadily back to land. Behind him, North, Tooth, and Bunny continued to play about, completely oblivious to the ten-second trauma Jack had just suffered. Grateful to have his feet back on the hot sand (something he'd never thought possible), Jack grabbed the soaked towel that had washed back to shore and wrapped it around his neck. Stuffing his shaking hands into his pocket, he made is was back to his seat. Pretending to ignore the concerned look Sandy was giving him, Jack slumped deep into his chair and pulled a towel over his face.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time Jack finds himself being dragged into another "beach-play-day" with the Guardians, it's at a small, quiet lake in Switzerland. Despite it being the middle of summer, the temperature wasn't horribly hot and Jack didn't feel the need to bury himself in several feet of towels to protect against the sun. The surrounding mountains glittered with a dusting of snow on their peaks, and that, more than anything, put Jack at ease.

Everyone else also shared in a much calmer demeanor than the Australia trip. Tooth was lounging back in a floaty, reading some book about dentistry and North was occupying himself by trying to put together a wooden raft from fallen branches. Jack snickered at North's look of surprise as the slipshod raft quickly sunk under the water, unable to support the Christmas Legend's weight. He shook his head like a wet dog as he surfaced and pulled the raft to shore to begin tinkering with it again. The Easter Kangaroo floated lazily on his back, and Jack couldn't help but wonder why his sopping fur wasn't pulling him down.

Next to Jack sat Sandy. They both were on the edge of a small, wooden dock. Jack let his feet hang over the edge, alternating between resting them on solid ice shelves of his own creation and and swishing them through the water when the ice melted.

Sandy suddenly elbowed him and pointed upwards excitedly. An old 1950's plane flew overhead. Jack grinned.

"That's pretty cool, Sa-" he started, but was cut short as water splashed onto his face. Sputtering and rubbing at his eyes, he opened them to see Bunnymund's eyes unexpectedly, and alarmingly, close. Automatically flipping backwards into a gravity-defying stance, Jack regarded him, bewildered.

"What was _that_ about?" he hissed.

Bunnymund smacked the water with a paw. _"This." _ He splashed water towards Jack again. Sandy deflected stray droplets with a flick of an umbrella.

Spluttering again and rubbing even more furiously at his eyes _("What's _in_ this water, acid?!") _he ground out angrily "What about it?"

"It's cold! Quit putting ice in it; we're not penguins! It was already cold enough without your help."

Behind him, North and Tooth gave the smallest nods of agreement. It was a good thing they did, because if they hadn't Jack would have surround the overgrown rabbit with a fleet of ice cubes.

"Sheesh, alright! You didn't need to splash me." Jack grumbled. Looking down to the now-frozen droplets on his hoodie, he flicked them off irritably.

Bunnymund gave him one final glare before sinking back into the water and turning onto his back. Snorting, Jack walked towards the beginning of the dock to retrieve his staff.

"I'll be back in a bit, Sandy. I'm going to check out those mountains up there." And exclamation point appeared over The Sandman's head and he too stood up and floated alongside Jack. "You wanna come with?" Sandy smiled and jerked his head towards the mountain like an invitation. Jack shot him a feral grin and gracefully kicked his staff into his hands. "A race, huh? Let's go!"

Without warning, the two guardians shot into the sky like small rockets. Jack laughed as they spiraled around one another and tried to knock the other off course. Back on the ground the other three breathed a small sigh of relief as the air and water temperature rose again.

The racers were neck and neck, both trying to stretch forward just a tiny bit to reach the mountain first. The jagged peaks loomed before them, but neither Jack nor Sandy were willing to be the first to slow done. They reached they mountain's side with a crash. They skidded to a halt in the snow, both a little stunned, but laughing.

"You're pretty fast!" Jack said, recovering first from the crash. Sandy stood up brushed off any fluffy white flakes that were clinging to him. He took a small bow, smiling the whole time.

The snow they had kicked up started to settle back towards the ground leaving the air fresh and clear. The landscape surrounding them was beautiful. More mountains stood proudly in the distance, the space in-between them lined with lush, green trees. The pair looked in the direction from which they came. The lake was just a tiny dot beneath them. For a moment, they gazed breathlessly all around them.

"It never really gets old, this." Jack said, gesturing outwards vaguely . "Even with as long as I've been here, I never get tired of seeing things like this." Sandy nodded in agreement. They stood in silence and the minutes passed comfortably. Finally, Jack broke the silence.

"Do you think it'll always be like this? Peaceful, I mean. Pitch is gone and everyone is safe. Do you think it can last?"

Sandy shook his head. A series of images flashed over his head, difficult to follow, but Jack understood their meaning anyways. _Nothing ever lasts._

Jack shrugged. "I guess you're right." He kicked at a chunk of snow, sending a small shower of flakes over the edge of the cliff. He watched them spiral down before he casted a sideways glance at Sandy. "How long do you think we'll last?" He didn't wait for an answer, though, because he knew Sandy had none to give. He leapt into the sky and hovered, supported by his constant companion, the wind.

"Race you back? I'm not going to go so easy on you this time, little man."

Sandy smirked and pulled his aviator googles on.


	3. Chapter 3

It's fifty years before the Guardians go on another vacation together. The destination was proposed by Sandy, who vehemently insisted that they go to Antarctica rather than another beach-y location like the Easter Bunny had been proposing. When North asked him why they would bother going to the South Pole when they were already surrounded by identical snow and ice, a penguin popped up over Sandy's head.

Jack, who'd been too busy with a Russian blizzard to make the meeting, whooped upon finding out their decision. In a flurry of excitement and rapidly spoken words, he told them about the joys of penguin bowling and that they absolutely _had _to try it. It wasn't until they're on their way to the South Pole that it struck North how lonely someone must be to play bowling with penguins. It was then that North appreciated the Sandman with a newfound rigor, because if it weren't for him, they would probably never figure this kid, Jack Frost, out.

The vacation went well, and everyone (Bunny included) really enjoyed themselves. But the near century-long peace that had held came to an end, just as Sandy predicted, when the Bermuda Triangle began claiming more souls than ever. Although protecting people from dying wasn't in The Guardians normal line of work, the children that were lost and the children that lost their parents left them feeling obligated to step in.

High above the deep blue water, North, Tooth, Sandy, Jack, and Bunnymund were in an intense argument debating over whether or not the sleigh would continue to be able to fly.

"I'm just sayin', North, if planes can't stay up, we're not going to able to either." Bunnymund ground out, clinging tightly onto the railing.

"Nonsense!" North laughed. "This sleigh is magic. Planes are not. There's no way we can be brought down."

"This might be magic, but so is ol' Bermy down there. If she says we go down, we go down."

"I have flown many times here. It's perfectly safe!"

"Yeah, but this time we're actually _attacking _her." Jack said dryly with a untrusting glance at the sea. "I doubt she'll take that too kindly."

"I think North's right, guys." Tooth said. "Bermuda may have magic, but what she actually does to the water and air is highly scientific. I once saw on the Discovery Channel.."

"Tooth has point!" North exclaimed. "This sleigh uses _only_ magic! Science cannot win."

"But who says that she can't use magic _too _to drop us?" Bunny started.

"No one says! We assume!"

"Oh yeah, because that's always the safest thing to do."

They were suddenly interrupted by a loud _thump _on the baseboards. They looked up sheepishly to see Sandy tapping his foot impatiently and pointing downwards towards the ocean. Four heads quickly peered over the edge. Beneath them stretched a large, human-shaped, expanse of frothy water. She was lying on her back, waving up at them lazily with an arm that was easily twenty feet long. She had no discernible features, but her skin bubbled and writhed like boiling water.

"Agh, here we go." Bunnymund groaned, reaching for his boomerangs. Jack and North readied their weapons as well. Tooth turned and motioned for them to put their weapons down.

"She hasn't attacked, yet." she said in an undertone. "Maybe we can talk to her." North considered this for a moment, and then lowered his swords with a nod. He took his place by the reins and directed the reindeer into lowering the sleigh.

Jack looked uneasily out at the water and Bermuda below. After being alive for nearly four hundred years, he had heard many stories about her. Stories about how she had claimed thousands of ships and men and trapped them in watery-graves. He shuddered, and returned his gaze to the interior of the sleigh. Hopefully their negotiations would be successful.

Their negotiations were not successful. Jack rolled over backwards to avoid a tendril of water the size of a semi and froze it once he was safely out of the way. The iceberg fell back into the water, joining a half a dozen others like it. Bermuda was a tough opponent, but she was outnumbered.

North's sleigh had proven Jack and Bunny wrong, and it zipped through the sky as always. It seemed that Bermuda didn't have enough power to knock it out of the sky, although she did come close to smashing it with huge waves a few times. Tooth seemed to be the only one having trouble flying, her wings unable to catch the thin air. The wind held Jack up, no problem, as long as he had his staff.

Jack dipped closer to the waves than he had dared before, seeing an opening in Bermuda's defense. He froze half of her body before she even realized what was happening.

"Bunny! Eggs!" he yelled, swerving widely out of the way as Bermuda swung an enormous arm his way.

Bunnymund threw a dozen explosive Easter eggs at her, and she exploded into millions of splintered, icy shards. The half of her remaining groaned and she let herself dissolve back into the sea.

Jack looked up to congratulate Bunny, a huge smile on his face, not seeing the large block of ice flying at him until it was too late. It knocked his staff from his hands. Grappling with gravity for just one half of a second, Jack fell.

He twisted wildly in the air, turning himself over and over, trying to bring himself closer to the staff, but to no avail. Without his staff, he was about as powerless as a snowflake.

Jack hit the water like it was a cement wall. It knocked the breath out of him, and he instinctively inhaled the salty water. Choking, he kicked and flailed desperately, needing to get back to the surface. His eyes peered into the inky darkness of the ocean, and it was then that his brain quietly noted that he didn't even know where the surface was anymore. Panic tore at him, and suddenly, it's like he's mortal again, back inside the lake, unable to get out. His lungs burned, and he wondered bleakly if he was actually going to die for good this time.

He gave the water a few more feeble pushes, but his movements were growing sluggish. Black spots pricked at the corner of his vision. He couldn't move anymore.

Suddenly, Jack felt furry arms scoop him up. He was being dragged. After a surprisingly short upwards swim, Jack felt air on his skin again. He began coughing, and didn't even realize it when he was gently placed in the sleigh. Rolling weakly onto his side, he coughed and coughed and coughed, until there was no more water in his lungs. His throat and eyes burned. Someone pushed his staff into his hands. He grabbed and pulled it close to his body, before he curled up into a pathetic ball, shaking harder than he had ever shook in his life. He clutched desperately at his staff, willing it to ground him, but images of water crushing over him filled his mind with too much fear.

The Guardians hovered over him, unsure of what to do. Because after knowing Jack Frost for nearly a century, they had never seen him cry.

* * *

_This chapter would not be up today if it weren't for all of the wonderful people who have read, reviewed, followed, or favorited my story. You guys are amazing. You've reminded me why I love FF.N so much, and I hope you like this chapter. Thank you so much for all of your positive reviews and support. It means a great deal to me!_

_I believe we have at least one more chapter in this fic. Two, if I can write it without stretching it too much. Happy December 2! :)_


	4. Chapter 4

They arrived back at the North Pole, exhausted beyond all measure. The trip had been uncomfortable and lengthy, and silence hung heavily in the air. Jack had not spoke since they'd left the Bermuda Triangle, although he had picked himself up into a more seated position after his violent shaking had subsided. Despite the many words of comfort the Guardians had offered him, he had remained unresponsive to all, his red and bleary eyes trained on the ground.

Now, parked in the garage, everyone sat completely still, not really knowing whether they should get off or stay and try to coerce Jack into speaking. After a pause that lasted a beat and a half longer than normal, Tooth gently reached over and grabbed Jack's shoulder.

"Jack," she said soothingly. "Jack, we're here."

He slowly but firmly pulled his shoulder from her grasp. "I know." His voice was rough. "I'll be in in a minute."

"An' we'll be waiting for you, mate." Bunnymund said, voice surprisingly gentle. He shot a meaningful look at North, Tooth, and Sandy before heading inside. They all nodded in agreement.

"All of us will be waiting." North affirmed. They too went inside, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts.

Upon hearing the door shut, Jack buried his head in his arms. He closed his eyes tightly shut and exhaled heavily through clenched teeth. Wind blew down through the tunnel and ghosted over his hair empathetically. The wind always knew when something was wrong with Jack. It wasn't that surprising, seeing as the wind had been there the day Jack had been reborn. The wind wrapped itself around Jack twice, before brushing off of him to blow towards the door that lead inside. Jack raised his head and watched it push stray snowflakes into the air. They landed lightly against the door. Jack's brow furrowed. The wind may have been his only friend before, but he couldn't ignore that he now had several new ones. Any thoughts of them abandoning him had been chased away several decades ago, and now Jack knew that they were here to stay. They had questions, no doubt, about what happened today. They had seen him come close to death (or as close as Legends could get to death) before in previous battles, but nothing had ever derailed him like today. He could disappear for a while. He could blow them off and dismiss what had happened and go make fantastic snowstorms and have epic snowball fights in the meantime.

But he knew he owed them more than that. They deserved to have their questions answered and they _needed_ to know about that particular weakness of his, because if they didn't, he could risk ruining a future battle. If he had gone under anytime before Bermuda had, the fight would have been lost.

He picked himself up and gingerly hobbled out of the sleigh. His entire body felt sore and stiff, and his lungs still burned. The wind gently lifted him up and deposited him by the door. It took off, going away down the tunnels, whistling in farewell. Jack went indoors.

* * *

Sandy floated off by the fireplace, well out of the way of North's pacing, Bunnymund's fidgeting, and Tooth's fluttering. He knew they all felt absolutely powerless, but Sandy knew that leaving Jack alone for the time being would be for the best. Jack wasn't someone that could be pressured. He would come to them in his own time.

"Do you think we should do something?" Tooth wondered aloud. "Maybe we should have some hot chocolate waiting for him- oh no, he doesn't really like hot chocolate. Frozen hot chocolate?" Her wings fluttered nervously. North shrugged helplessly and Bunnymund didn't even look up from the egg he was painting. Sandy was sure that he was on his fifth coat of red.

Sandy had known for quite a while that Jack wasn't overly fond of water (that was exactly why he voted against yet another beach trip), but he hadn't known how severe the problem was. Jack had a downright phobia of being submerged.

A cold draft breezed in, and all four Guardians looked up expectantly. Sure enough, Jack walked in moments later. He was leaning more than usual on his staff and he appeared tired beyond belief, but he steadily met every one of their gazes.

"So," he said. "I guess I have a bit of explaining to do."

"You could say that," North started. "But mostly we're just glad you're okay." He offered Jack a small smile and Sandy, Tooth, and Bunny nodded in agreement behind him. Jack's lips twisted into the form of a smile, but it didn't even come close to reaching his eyes. Shaking his head slightly, he rubbed at one of his temples and dropped to take a seat on the floor. Barely a second passed before everyone else followed suit.

"I'm not really sure where to start." He rubbed at his neck. "I guess you could say I don't like water."

Bunnymund snorted humorlessly and was immediately shushed by North and Tooth. Sandy himself turned and irritably threw a finger to his lips. Bunny paid no attention them.

"So what? You're afraid of rain? Showers? Jack, I hate to break it to you, but snow and ice: they're water too."

"I _know."_ Jack said, frustrated. "I don't like big bodies of water. I hate swimming. I don't know how you guys stopped being whoever you were before, but I fell through some ice and _drowned._ I mean, even before I got my memories back I didn't like water. Why do you think I freeze lakes so thick? And now that I know why, I can't stop thinking about dying every time I so much as get above my knees in water." He pulled his knees up and rested his chin on them. "It was the worst feeling. Being stuck beneath the ice, not able to get out no matter how hard I pounded at it. I never want that to happen again."

Sandy closed his eyes. He had figured Jack had had a bad run-in with water at some point in his life, but he never imagined that he had died from it. Sandy had been around longer than any of the others, so he was familiar with the ends of their mortal forms. None had been as traumatic as Jack's.

Beside him, North rose to his feet. He walked over to Jack, his heavy boots tapping loudly against the ground, and stopped before him. He leaned over so he was eye-level with Jack. Jack regarded him evenly.

"Tell me, Jack. Do you know how to swim?"

Well that hadn't been a question he'd been expecting.

"Huh? Uh, well, no, not really. It wasn't really a popular thing to do when I was alive, and I'm sure you can guess why I haven't tried since."

"You are scared of drowning, not water." North said. Jack opened his mouth to protest but was promptly cut off when North clapped a hand over it. "We will teach you how to swim, and like this, you won't have to be afraid anymore."

"I'm not so sure I even want to try." Jack mumbled around North's hand. He pushed it away and stood up.

"Oh, c'mon." Bunny said. "We don't want another repeat of today, do we?" Jack flushed. "Look, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have won today. We need to you to be able to fight with us everywhere. We're not asking you to become the next gold-medal winner of the Olympics, okay? We just want you to try."

"And we'll be there just in case anything happens." Tooth added. "We won't let anything happen to you."

Jack looked from face to smiling face, and felt slightly more at ease with the idea in spite of himself. With a snort and a shake of his head, he nodded his consent. "Fine. I'll give it one go. But no one's allowed to push me in, okay?"

Bunny ruffled his hair. "Wouldn't dream of it, mate."

* * *

_I'm sorry about the amount of time it took me to get this done. I've been going to school and working like crazy! Tonight I work until ten, but afterwards I'm going to see RotG again with a few friends. It's gonna be pretty great. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I can promise you there will be one more. Have a great Friday and weekend, guys!_

_Thank you SO MUCH for all of the reviews; you guys are too nice! I apologize for not responding to them all; I haven't had the time! But they are all much appreciated. 3_


	5. Chapter 5

They were at Jack's lake and, surprisingly enough, it was by Jack's request that they were there. Tooth wasn't so sure what to think when he suggested that he learn to swim in the same pond that he died in, but hey, whatever floated the guy's boat.

It was early-May by the time they finally got the chance to get together. Burgess was still reluctantly turning from winter to spring (Tooth suspected that Jack's constant stays had something to do with that), but the pond was ice-free, albeit a bit chilly. A perfect place for a winter spirit to learn how to swim in.

The five of them stood on the shore line. Jack, barefoot as usual, shifted uneasily from foot to foot. Tooth had the urge to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, but she resisted it. Jack went through phases where he seemed to appreciate any type of physical contact and ones where even the slightest accidental brush of the hand could make him jump out of his skin. Today he seemed more inclined to be flighty, and the last thing Tooth wanted to do was to startle him.

They hadn't been by the lake long, only about five minutes, but the weak, spring sun was warming Tooth's feathers leaving her feeling so cozy that she was beginning to wonder if she'd even be able to force herself into a cold lake. Bunnymund must have felt the same way, because he was the first to step forward into the lake, going only until the water came up to his fury knees. Tooth pretended, for her own sake, not to notice when he flinched from the cold.

He faced them, trying to disguise a violent shiver as a beckoning wave. "Well? What are we waiting for? C'mon!"

North, being the second most habituated to the cold of the group, kicked off his boots with a laugh and waded in up to his waist. Sandy, being there only for emotional support, flashed Jack a thumbs up. Jack gave him a bleak smile and stuck his feet in. Despite Jack giving the Guardians an "A-Okay" on North's plan, he couldn't have appeared any less thrilled to be there than he already did.

He tromped out until the water-line hit his knees. Tooth noticed the near death-grip he had on his staff as he sat down in the water. Tooth waded out next to him and sat down much more rapidly than he had _(Do it quick like a bandaid, Tooth!)_ sucking in her breath quickly and biting her cheek to hold back a word she normally deemed impolite.

"Is this so bad?" she asked him cheerfully. He waved his hand slowly under the water, his fingers catching small currents. A leaf lazily floated by.

"This, not so much." he murmured, snagging the leaf between his fingers. He began to absentmindedly pick it apart. "It's going under that I don't like."

"There are ways to swim without submerging your head." Tooth gently reminded him. "Let's start with those, hmm?" Bringing her legs up from underneath her, she moved gracefully into deeper water. Jack stubbornly remained where he was; he however kept his eyes on her and watched intently.

"Why don't we start with just floating instead?" North suggested, noticing Jack's reluctance.

"Yeah," Bunny chimed in. "Floating should be easy for a little ice cube like you." Jack snorted, but made no move to join them. Tooth flipped over onto her back.

"It's just like laying down. You could even try right where you are!"

Jack looked doubtfully at them and the water. "There's no way this is going to hold me up." He poked at it with his staff as if to prove his point.

"Oh yeah, and wind can hold you no problems, can't it?" Bunnymund commented somewhat snidely.

North sloshed over to Jack's side.

"Here," he offered, tentatively placing a hand on the younger's back. "I will hold you."

Breaking the glare he'd directed at Bunnymund, Jack gave North a shrug and reclined a little into the water, his feet still resting on the ground.

"That's it, good, good," North said, squeezing Jack's back reassuringly. "When you feel ready, take your feet off the ground, relax, and let the water support you."

Jack struggled to relax. He felt tense all over and couldn't seem to get his heart and breathing rates under control. He gripped his staff so tightly he was sure it might shatter. But never one to take his time, Jack clenched his eyes shut and pulled his feet off the ground in one sudden movement.

He went under.

_Air, air, air, airairair, cantbreathe!_

Not even a second after his head was completely covered, Jack exploded out of the lake and into the air with a huge gust of wind that caused the lake's tiny ripples to become ocean-worthy waves. North, having been the closest, found himself thrown violently to the shore, momentarily stunned.

High above them in a tree, Jack sat, perched on a branch, shaking much like the leaves attached to it. More furious with himself than anyone else, he attempted to force down unwanted memories of drowning and tried to still his trembling hands.

"This wasn't a good idea." he spat, hoping that angry words would hide any quaver his voice might have. "I am never, _ever _doing that again."

"Jack..." North began, but trailed off not knowing how to continue.

"I thought...I thought you were supposed to catch me!" Jack spluttered pointing an accusatory finger in North's direction. "Is this some kind of a joke to you guys? Are you trying to get me back for all of the pranks I've pulled?" Sandy, Tooth, North, and Bunnymund all simultaneously opened their mouths to explain, but Jack wasn't having any of it.

"Well, ha ha, guys, you got me good." He scrubbed furiously at his cheek. "Go on home, then. Great job, everyone. Guess you'll be the hit at parties now!"

"Jack!" Tooth interjected pleadingly. "You know we want nothing but to help you!"

Deep down, Jack knew she was telling the truth, but he was too hurt, too scared, too mad at himself for messing up such a simple task that he wanted only to be left alone. He stepped off the branch and hovered in midair for a split second saying, "See you guys around." before he flew off, swallowed by the sky. Bunnymund irritably smacked the water with an oversized paw.

"Last time I try and help the little sucker again."

* * *

Jack spent the rest of the afternoon engrossing himself in his work. Autumn was really beginning to fall in the southern hemisphere, and there were quite a few places that needed a good frosting. He didn't think about swimming or drowning, and he most certainly did not think about the apologizing he would have to do later.

He hadn't wanted to say those things, he'd only wanted to be alone like he had been for so long before. Jack still wasn't sure how he was supposed to talk with people at times - three hundred years was a long time without proper conversation - and carrying on talks when he felt so _weak _was downright impossible for him.

But a day eventually passed in all of the timezones he had been covering, and Jack couldn't keep memories from the previous day out of his head anymore.

Fuming, he kicked a chunk of ice as hard as he could off of some Argentinian glacier. He could fly, control winter, and harass the Easter Bunny, but he couldn't even get in another form of his element without a full blown panic attack. Another piece of glacier sailed off into the night.

He couldn't keep this up forever. He was Jack Frost. He _defeated _fear. He couldn't let some stupid melted snow control him. Suddenly struck with an idea, he threw himself off the glacier and let the winds pick him up and take him home.

* * *

The lake was deserted. Landing roughly on its' sandy banks, Jack tossed his staff aside with an irate huff and clawed at his sweatshirt until he slammed it to the ground too. Without giving himself a chance to think, he stormed into the dark water with the full intention of making himself dive in before he realized what he was doing. He only made it to his waist.

Breathing heavily, Jack looked straight down into the water. He could see his feet, bare and pale, at the lake's bottom, their forms distorted by the waters' currents. He could see small rocks and even smaller pieces of seaweed _(pondweed?) _clinging to them. But if he looked closer and farther away all at once, he could see the stars shining, reflected in the water. Brightest of all, he could see the moon.

He spun around, lifting his gaze to the being that had resurrected him all those years ago. Keeping his eyes trained on it, Jack gradually let his back sink into the water, bit by bit, until only his head was left above the surface.

He felt panicked and scared, but the moon was there. The moon had saved him from this lake once before, why shouldn't it be able to do it again? Jack made himself relax. He trusted the moon.

Jack slowly picked his feet up. His left one. _Pause_. His right one. He floated.

He stayed like that for hours, just lying on his back and looking at the moon. Tiny gusts of wind pushed him back and forth. He traversed the lake again and again, until finally the wind died down and he was left right in the center. He felt at peace.

Jack let his eyes fall shut and he allowed himself to fall beneath the surface. The sounds of the forest became muffled, and then non-existent, until the only thing Jack heard was the sound of tiny bubbles escaping him as he gradually exhaled.

The water was dark and it was cold, but he no longer felt threatened by it. He opened his eyes. There the moon was, just as it had been on the day he had been reborn, glowing omnipresently in the sky. The water wasn't dark anymore but it was still cold, but that was okay, because who was more used to the cold than Jack Frost?

Jack's feet hit the bottom, and he stayed there for a moment, admiring the dancing ripples of the water's surface. He watched them move until his lungs began to burn in a familiar sort of way, but this time he didn't panic. He was in control. Kicking off gently from the floor, Jack resurfaced and floated his way to the shore.

Jack shrugged his hoodie over his head and kicked his staff into his hands before leaping upwards into the night. The pond sparkled serenely beneath him, and everything felt so right that Jack had to take a moment to remind himself that he still had some apologizing to do. Dipping down, Jack reached his hand forward to touch the sparkling water one last time before asking the wind to take him Northward.

* * *

_Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. Your support means more to me than you could ever know. Honestly, this is the first fanfiction I've ever finished (ever!) and it's thanks to you that I did. I have plans on making a JackxJamie one next, so maybe I'll see you around! Be safe, and have a great holiday season!  
-SlaughterOtter_


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